Sierra Madre Gold and Silver has commenced underground development at the Nazareno silver and gold mine, part of the La Guitarra silver-gold complex in Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
As of now, more than 700 tonnes (t) of mineralised material has been transported from Nazareno to the Guitarra processing plant.
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Development blasting and detailed mapping at Nazareno has revealed multiple silver and gold-bearing veins converging in this region, creating a zone that spans up to 8m in width.
During a reconciliation of silver-gold material produced from development blasting with the surrounding resource blocks in the 2023 Nazareno resource model, it was found that the production silver grades are 40% higher and gold grades are 30% higher. This is based on a comparison of the grades delivered to the mill versus those indicated in the 2023 resource block model for the surrounding area.
Sierra Madre CEO Alex Langer said: “We are excited to be opening a third mining centre at La Guitarra, less than a year after achieving commercial production at our first mine within the complex.
“We expect Nazareno to be a significant contributor to silver and gold production as we advance our fully funded plant expansion plans, which would more than double capacity from current 500t/d [tonnes per day] levels by Q3 2027 [third quarter of 2027].”
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By GlobalDataThe initial phase of development at the Nazareno Access Drive level will involve expanding the sides of the current workings through blasting to reach the full width of the mineralised silver-gold zone.
Following this, the sill drive will be extended along the structure in both directions. This process aims to assess the feasibility of employing long-hole mining in this area, which is characterised by closely spaced veins.
To support mine planning and development, Sierra Madre has purchased a new Ingertrol Sandy 50 drill rig.
With the ability to drill 150m with NWL pipe and 250m with BWL pipe, the portable rig can be used both underground and on the surface.
For surface drilling, there is no need to build access roads because its components are portable and can be carried by individuals. This was demonstrated by the company during its drilling operations at the Tepic project.
Drilling is scheduled for the Nazareno veins and the central Guitarra mine area. These locations contain closely spaced parallel silver-gold vein sets, which have traditionally necessitated parallel exploratory sill drives.
The new drilling rig will enable the company to cut down on development expenses by allowing for short-hole drilling from a single drive, eliminating the need for expensive parallel drives or crosscuts.
